Coastal Selected Project Manager for $3.7 million Wireless Deployment (January 2008)

In January of this year Coastal Broadband was selected by the South Georgia Regional Information Technology Authority (SGRITA) to manage their $3.7 million Wireless Broadband Project which will cover 95% of Baker, Early, miller, Calhoun and Mitchel counties in South West Georgia. The One Georgia initiative managed for Governor Sonny Purdue by Nancy Cobb awarded the Five County initiative $2.7 million in grant funds. The Flint River Soil and Water Conservation district pledged $1 million in matching funds.

Phase one of the project is already underway where a high speed wireless backbone will be deployed over 17 towers in a ring around the five county area. Four of the five county school systems have contracted with SGRITA to utilize the new County network providing much needed revenue to subsidize the rural and agricultural components of the network. The goal is to have all schools online before September 1, 2007 and to launch the phase II project, the rural broadband deployment to the 5 counties, at or shortly prior to that time.

This type of true community partnership with the blessing of capital funds from the Governor and his support teams will make this project a long standing success. And more importantly it will serve as the example of how other communities across Georgia and other rural states across America can parter to deploy reliable High Speed Wireless networks.